Concord
by Casa Circe
Summary: ZUTARA WEEK 2010 Day Five: Harmony. Midnight strolls, hidden talents, overdue realizations, and an unusual reconciliation. Hope you like this.


**ZUTARA WEEK 2010: Day 5: HARMONY**

**Concord**

**Disclaimer: **_**Avatar: the Last Airbender **_**belongs to Bryke, but Zutara week belongs to all Zutarians.**

_**NOTE: This was one of the hardest prompts for me because it is so broad. And I've kind of tackled this theme in most of my Zutara stories. Truth be told, it's pretty much the theme of ALL Zutara stories. But I didn't want this entry to be boring, and as usual, I wanted to put my own spin on it. So I came up with an idea which I hope works.**_

_**The original prompt was "Balance" which still fits in the general storyline.**_

_**It's a weird little story, one of the weirdest of my entries this year (and that's saying something.) Please read and let me know if this is all right. **_

Nights at the Western Air Temple were not completely restful for some of its young inhabitants. Though the ancient structure was as safe and tranquil as any other sacred area, its cool, stone walls did not provide all the comfort needed by many a perturbed mind.

There were too many anxieties plaguing certain members of the Avatar's group which made a good night's sleep almost impossible most nights. The eerie, hollow silence and the faint whispers of primal secrets can only cause more restlessness.

It was on such a night that Zuko decided to get up and explore the temple further, if only to get some air and to clear his head. He had been tossing and turning for hours before he realized that attempting to sleep would be naught but a vain endeavor.

Even though the Avatar had already accepted his former enemy into the group, Zuko still had many other problems to deal with. The young firebender was constantly plagued by guilt about the past and haunted by his many, deep mistakes. Though he had been able to regain his firebending, he knew there was much still for the Avatar to learn, and the time was extremely limited. Zuko worried about a lot of other things as well, and so he was serious most of the time, a habit he was trying his best to shake.

But for the life of him, he could never be as joyous and carefree as the Avatar. He was too mired in a thousand little sorrows and doubts that he could not allow himself to be lax. He had made enough blunders in his past, and he was continuously reminding himself that what he sought now was no longer honor but redemption.

Heavy thoughts for a sleepless night. As the firebender went around the corridors of the temple, he pondered on what he would do next. But his body was reminding him of his own limits, and he was suddenly aware of a dryness in his throat.

"All this thinking is making me thirsty," he thought to himself as he walked.

He had wandered too far from the usual cooking area and it was too late an hour to go back to prepare some tea or something. Besides, he wanted a more refreshing drink.

He suddenly remembered that there was a small drinking fountain full of cool water somewhere in the middle of the temple, not far from where he was. He decided to proceed there to get a drink of water before hopefully, getting some sleep.

As he approached the area of the fountain, he stopped and became vaguely aware of a fain echo resounding across the hall. He was on alert immediately, but his instincts told him there was no danger to be feared. The sound was not unpleasant, and he felt inexplicably drawn to it. A few steps forward and he realized that it was a voice singing sweetly in the darkness, and he was all the more eager to seek the source of the music.

There had been stories about ghosts haunting ancient places like these, but Zuko was not one to believe in such things.

He soon realized that the voice was coming from where the fountain was, and the singer was most definitely a girl. But there were only three girls at the temple at present, and something told him that this mysterious songstress was neither the blind earthbender nor the Kyoshi warrior.

Therefore, it could only mean that….

He was more careful as he approached this time, making sure that he would not be detected. He hid himself behind one of the great pillars and he peered carefully at the figure at the fountain.

Sure enough, it was Katara who was singing softly, believing, no doubt, that she was all alone. She sat by the fountain and played wistfully with an orb of water, bending it back and forth between her hands for no particular purpose other than to pass the time.

Zuko was now certain that he ought to go back. He would not risk being discovered wandering in the middle of the night, especially not by her. He shuddered as he considered the consequences of such an encounter.

For though the rest of the group had openly welcomed and accepted him, even Sokka who had one of the most skeptical at first, Katara still didn't trust him. And she had made her feelings for him perfectly clear when he had first arrived.

"…because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there, _permanently._"

Those had been her words, and they had haunted him ever since. Not because he was even going to hurt Aang, but because he had seen how his betrayal had affected _her_, she who had been so eager to trust him back in Ba Sing Se.

He turned to leave as carefully as he had come, and yet could resist but turning around and stealing another glimpse. A small patch of moonlight shone on the fountain, and the reflection of this radiance on the girl made her seem almost like someone not of this world.

She was smiling as she sang and there was an expression of calmness and relaxation on her face that he had not seen her sport for a long time. It seemed that at that moment, hidden away in the temple, she was her old self again.

Zuko could not help but stay and listen, though he remained carefully hidden. He was deeply moved by both the lovely sound of her voice and by the words she was singing.

Not surprisingly, she sang of hope, of a day that would come when the light would triumph over darkness, when sorrow and anger would vanish, giving way to peace and joy. She sang of trials that would have to be endured, but endured with fortitude because there was a certainty of triumph in the end. But mostly, she sang of hope, and Zuko knew her well enough to know that she meant every word.

And listening to her then, his spirit lifted, and he was no longer as worried or sad as he had been.

"You really do have healing powers," he thought as he watched her, "in more ways than one."

He then wondered why the song seemed so familiar, not just because of its message. He could actually recognize the melody and exact lyrics that she sang, and he thought about this for a few moments.

Then he remembered. It was a song from the Earth Kingdom where she had no doubt picked it up during her travels. And since he had been taking the same path, he had heard it as well. He had not really paid attention to such things in his relentless search for the Avatar, but now all his experiences in that journey were creeping into his memory, and he saw that he had learned much through his trials. The song might as well have been about his life.

And then, unconsciously, he began to sing along as well, albeit in a lower tone. His voice matched hers as the words flowed from memory, and the melody echoing across the temple became one of lovely unison.

But he soon realized what he had done, and so quickly fled the scene as fast as he could.

Katara had not noticed her companion until a few moments later, and when she became aware of it, she had not been sure of how to react. It had happened too quickly and it was too strange.

Zuko stealthily but speedily hid himself in one of the other, more obscure corridors, taking advantage of Katara's surprise. Fortunately, she had not seen him, and what she had heard from him was the unfamiliar sound of his singing voice. Besides, she would not have expected such a thing, and he prayed that she would not discover him. At most it had been just a few lines in low tones, quite negligible.

For her part, the waterbender considered several possibilities for such a strange occurrence. She recalled the ghost stories all of a sudden but she quickly brushed these aside.

But it was late, and she had been feeling slightly light-headed. Had she really heard something or had it just been her imagination?

Although she considered an intruder, she also questioned why anyone would join in her secret singing. Surely, the others were all asleep by now, and probably only Aang would know about this small fountain. And that had certainly not been his voice. Besides, he would not have hidden from her.

She ran across several of the surrounding corridors, calling out, and searching carefully for anyone. But the halls were empty and silent. No one was there.

"That's strange," she thought, "I'm fairly certain I heard someone's voice."

But as the night passed and her search proved futile, she conceded that she had probably been too tired to the point of hallucination. She rubbed her head and sighed.

"I guess there's no point in staying up till dawn for this," she thought, "I'll just ask the others about it tomorrow morning."

But she never had the opportunity to do so because the next morning, Azula attacked the temple, and the peculiar event at the fountain was temporarily forgotten.

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Strolling along the beach in the moonlight was always a rejuvenating activity for a waterbender. Being close to both spirits that sustained her, Katara enjoyed her solitary walks along the shores of Ember Island. She had not expected to find such a pleasant past time in the Fire Nation, but she was fast realizing that the country of her enemies wasn't necessarily a horrible place.

And as she savored the cool night breeze and watched the small waves crash against the sand, she pondered on the great many things that had happened in the past few days.

They had managed to escape capture by Azula and her soldiers but at the cost of splitting up the group. In spite of this, Katara was sure that she would see her father again soon. Things were now in motion that made the end of all their struggles draw nearer and nearer.

But the most significant of all that had happened was her forgiving Zuko, after doubting him for so long and treating him so badly. After he had helped her confront all her sorrow and anger over her mother's death, they had been on excellent terms, and she realized that they had so much in common, to say the least.

She was growing fond of him in a way that she had never expected, and it seemed like the bond they had almost forged in Ba Sing Se all that time ago was now beginning again. She wasn't too sure about how she would deal with such a development.

They worked well with each other; that was clear enough. But if there was anything more to this than a strong friendship, she wasn't sure, she didn't want to know just yet. The situation was too complicated, and there was still so much to be done. But these were the thoughts that prevented her from sleeping.

So she sought the comfort of her element and the spirits in the quiet of the night, where no one would bother her. The beach was really a beautiful place to take a stroll and she found it very calming on her nerves.

She took a deep breath and let the wind play with her long, dark hair. But aside from the cool breeze, there was something else being carried by the wind. It was a soft, soothing sound that made her sigh deeply as she walked. The strong gusts of air obscured the sound a bit but as she walked forward, it became clearer.

Intrigued by this, and sensing no danger, she strained her ears, and realized that she was hearing someone's voice. And the more she listened, the more she remembered this voice, from an event not too long ago, in the Western Air Temple.

It was the same song, a song of hope from the Earth Kingdom, but this time sung in a low, steady male voice. Somehow, the song was given justice in such a rendition, though the singer seemed sad and slightly unsure of himself. But there was talent there, without a doubt.

Her blue eyes widened in shock and the first silly thought that entered her head was that the ghost of the temple had followed her there. But she brushed this aside immediately, and surmised that one of her companions had been the culprit. And this was her chance to discover who it had been.

Looking ahead, Katara saw that there was a large rock formation several meters in front of her, behind which no doubt the singer stood. Slowly and carefully, she approached, hiding behind the large rock and peering cautiously to the side.

Once again, the waterbender's eyes widened and she suppressed a gasp of surprise when she saw who was standing by the shore, singing seriously and beautifully in the night.

A lone, lean figure standing by the waves, almost resplendent by the moon's glow, looking both sad and content as he sang his song of hope.

For the first few moments, all Katara could do was stare and listen in awe as Zuko, still oblivious to her presence, continued his performance. She tried to make sure she wasn't dreaming, that this was no hallucination or strange figment of her imagination. But the longer she stood there, the more she was sure of what she saw.

Zuko was singing. She could hardly believe it. And not only that, but now she knew that he had been the one who had joined her in song back at the temple. No doubt he had been reluctant to reveal himself to her because of her anger towards him.

Seeing and hearing him now, she was completely enthralled, and unable to think clearly, so much was passing through her mind. She knew not how to react, how to express her admiration, or whether she out to expose herself at all.

But after a few more moments' contemplation, she could think straight no longer, and then, could no resist joining him in song. She didn't know what had led her to it, but it felt natural to sing as well.

Zuko froze the moment he heard her sing and slowly, nervously, turned to face her. Katara had emerged from the large rock with a smile, as she sang the next few lines of the song he had abruptly stopped singing.

He stared at her in embarrassment and knew not what to say. She was slightly shy as well, but she managed to smile at him. For a moment, the said nothing.

Then, she broke the silence.

"So it was you," she said simply.

He nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said quickly, "I was embarrassed and I knew how much you hated me."

"I never hated you," she answered immediately, moved by his reaction, "I was just silly and angry. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," he replied softly. There was an awkward pause.

"You sing beautifully," he told her suddenly. Katara blushed at such praise.

"Thanks," she replied, "you're not so bad yourself."

"I had to join Uncle's music night every now and then," he conceded with a shrug, "and he wouldn't always let me just play the Tsunghi horn."

Katara could not help but laugh at this, and seeing her thus put Zuko at ease.

"You're pretty amazing, actually," the waterbender then said in a more serious tone, "and not just when you're singing."

"Thank you, Katara," Zuko said sincerely, "that means a lot, coming from you."

She nodded, and for a few moments they merely looked away, towards the dark depths of the sea. They had been through a lot together, and yet things were still uncertain about each other.

Neither wanted to talk about their pressing concerns: helping Aang fulfill his destiny, ending the war, and the paths they would take once this was all over. For some reason, the last thought was frightening and they did not wish to dwell on it.

Katara decided that, given this new revelation, there was nothing left to do but sing. And so they did, this time less troubled, less worried, and more at ease with one another.

The wind carried their song to various parts of the island, and brought joy and comfort to all those who heard it.

Somewhere, a Kyoshi warrior leaned her head affectionately on the Water Tribe Warrior she loved as they held each other's hands and watched the moon shine on the water.

In another part of the house, an amazing earthbender grinned widely, recognizing the music and approving of it. She was proud of them. Having better hearing than most people, the beauty of the song was all the greater to her ears.

And in his meditating room, the young Avatar suddenly felt his heart grow light at the perfect melding of two separate voices. He felt his doubts and fears flow away, and he was finally able to let go of what was stopping him from achieving his greatest potential. And this time, he was willing to do so, and he felt absolutely, wonderfully free. All was well.

Two voices blending harmoniously as one, each complementing the other, making the lovely song come alive with a splendor only achieved through a heartfelt rendition. They smiled as they sang, and somehow their hands met and clasped as their voices echoed in the night.

**Note: Hope you liked this. I considered putting a song at one point but I could not decide on which to include and there was no time for me to compose a decent, original song. So I leave the choice of music to your imaginations.**


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